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I stared at him, jaw clenched as I failed to find the right words to say.
“Shouldn’t we … unkiss or something?” he suggested.
I sighed deeply. “Aren’t you just saying that because you want to take this opportunity to kiss me again?”
“Maybe?”
“What’s wrong with you?” I tsked. Why the hell was he so honest? “Just forget about it. I’m much better now. As you can see, I’ve stepped out of my house to buy ice cream. Besides, if I’m gonna kiss you, I’m gonna have a better reason than to not be sick.”
He pouted. “Doyouwant to kiss me?”
“Do Iwantto kiss you?” I repeated. “What does that even mean?” Playing dumb, I laughed quietly, avoiding the trap question.
“Do you like me?” he tried again.
“Of course, I like you,” I replied casually before I could even process my words.
With my mouth agape and my hand numb, I dropped my ice cream on the ground. Rattled, I cast my eyes in every direction and uttered something incoherent that even I couldn’t comprehend. The only word I made out wasgoodbye, and when Gray didn’t say anything back, I crossed the street in a hurry.
I left him on the other side of the road, confused, when suddenly—I heard a crash. People behind me gasped and shouted. Upon turning toward the sounds, I saw a red Ferrari and a boy sprawled on the ground—Gray.
Play Dead or Get Caught
A few minutesbefore the car accident turned me into a boneheaded human, Cole had been tailing me for over half an hour. I’d left the house with the same old excuse of running an errand for Aunt Suzy, and he’d been persistent in convincing me to give up on Aera, whom we found dipping out from a convenience store.
“I swear to God, if you keep on avoiding this conversation, I will tell Aera what you really are!” he proclaimed.
I walked, not looking back. “Then let’s both be damned!” I dared him.
“Jerk,” he cursed before proceeding like a restless parrot desperate to humiliate me in public. “Why the hell are you even avoiding me? Why are you acting as if I did something wrong to you when you’re the one who lied to me?”
“Hey.” I sighed, shoulders drooping as I turned around. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you. I didn’t tell you because I know you like using your super hearing to invade other people’s privacy. So I thought one day you’d find out on your own, and I was right. You did.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me you have a pack?”
“Because Cole.” I squeezed my eyes shut, fists clenching. “You said you hate werewolves. You hate having a pack. Besides, we never talk unless it’s about you asking me for help. Now when are you going to stop asking me obvious questions?”
He flinched.
“You could’ve asked me for help too,” he said matter-of-factly.
Or not. It seemed like the other way around, considering I was the one looking like a stunned rabbit caught by a lion.
Thank God, Cole dropped it and asked, “So, is Rainer still alive?”
I nodded tightly. “I think so. I mean, I had Stan help him.” And Rainer was so grateful, so grateful that he gave me a dead horse’s head.
Cole’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you crazy? Won’t he threaten, you know, someone like Aera, since you didn’t finish him off?” He would probably collapse if I told him about the dead horse.
“He won’t touch Aera. He’ll go after me. I’m the one he hates.” My itchy throat sounded unsure, though. For so long, I carried the same blind belief that Rainer still had some redeeming qualities left somewhere behind those knitted brows.
Cole rolled his eyes. “I doubt it. Nobody has seen him at school for weeks. He’s obviously up to no good. And you have a weakness now, Gray. You’re putting Aera’s life in danger. Everyone you care about will be in danger.”
I opened my mouth, unable to deny the possibilities in his words, “I …” I hesitated. “I’ll talk to him.”
“You think a simple talk will bring him back? He nearly killed Keith.”
I shook my head, eyes drifting toward Aera’s back as she walked away with an ice cream in hand. “I still don’t care about Keith,” I voiced. “And I’m not worried about you either because you’re not really the murderer he’s been looking for. You’re safe.”
